Experts lay stress on decriminalising suicide bids. Restricting means to
suicide an effective step.Prabha Sridevan (3rd from right), Chairperson, IPAB,
with Lakshmi Vijaykumar, founder trustee, Sneha; Shekar Saxena, Director of
Mental Health and Substance Abuse, WHO; and Dinesh Bhugra,President-elect,
World Psychiatric Association, at the inauguration of the 5th Asia Pacific
Conference
29-Nov-2012
CHENNAI : If changes in policy can facilitate a reduction in the number of
suicides, then these changes must be brought about, Prabha Sridevan,
Chairperson, Intellectual property Appellate Board, said on Wednesday.
A look at the suicide map of India showed that the different categories among
whom suicides are common included farmers, students at the high school and
higher education institutions, women who have been harassed for dowry and
debtors. Restricting access to pesticides, availability of alcohol and
improving access to counselling and mental health services and sensitising the
media are relevant issues that require policy-level regulations, in order to
arrest the suicide rate. Effective changes in policy could prevent suicides of
poor farmers, debtors from those investing in microfinance schemes and dowry
deaths, she said.
The key, however, was to decriminalise attempted suicide in the country.
Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code makes attempt to commit suicide a
punishable crime. Several attempts had been made at various forums, including
in the recommendations of the 210th report of the Law Commission, to bring an
amendment to remove Section 309.
She was speaking at the inaugural function of the fifth Asia Pacific conference
of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, organised here by
Sneha, the NGO working in the area of suicide prevention. Shekar Saxena,
Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, WHO, stressed that suicide
prevention should be a high priority for all nations, and that we know enough
to prevent a large proportion of suicides. A total of one million cases of
suicide are reported annually the world over. However, it was clearly a case of
under-reporting, due to a variety of factors, including law and stigma. Despite
the under-reporting, suicide ranked among the top causes of death among both
men and women. Like Ms. Sridevan, he also laid at the doorsteps of the State
the power to restrict access to means of self-harm.
Dr. Saxena also informed that the WHO had decided, only a few weeks ago, that
there would be a World Suicide Report out in 2014 for the first time ever. In
addition to providing figures and trends, it will project models and efforts
taken across the world by governments and NGOs, such as Sneha (led by Lakshmi
Vijayakumar), in working to prevent suicides, he added.
Alan Berman, president, IASP, said the aspirational goal of ‘zero’ suicides
could be achieved some time in the future with the active involvement of
different agencies the world over.
Nalli Kuppusamy, president, Sneha, said according to a recent report, Chennai
had the largest number of suicides ever in 2011. Several young lives were lost,
and unless a preventive approach is taken, counselling services provided at all
levels, things would not change, he added.
Dinesh Bhugra, president elect, World Psychiatric Association, and Roy Samuel
Kallivayalil, president, Indian Psychiatric Society, offered felicitations.
Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder trustee, Sneha, spoke.
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/policy-changes-key-to-arrest-suicide-rate/article4145129.ece
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